1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a slide storage unit or the like and an automatic device to facilitate slide retrieval in a rapid and sequential manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, owners of large slide archives stored their collections in slide boxes or plastic sheets placed in notebook holders or mounted vertically on holding devices. Those slides had to be manually placed in a standard slide exchanger for use in a slide projector. The manual finding and retrieving of the slides was very time consumming.
The prior art slide exchangers or slide holders with automatic removal are designed for holders with a limited number of slots for storing slides. A single slide is removed, viewed and returned to its original position in the slide holder before a second slide can be removed. Removal of a second slide requires the slide holder to be repositioned in a linear movement, for box-like slide holders or in a circular movement for carousel type holders. The extraction, replacement and repositioning movements are all achieved through time consumming electro-mechanical devices.
Prior art automatic carousel storage and retrieval systems for objects of like size, shape and eight of slides depend on the mechanical rotation of a carousel to move the proper item in front of a picking location. The carousel is stepped to the picking location and the desired item is extracted or ejected. The extraction or ejection may be by a mechanical device or by a magnetic force wherein the retrieved item is composed of or attached to a magnetically sensitive material. Alternatively, such automatic carousel storage and retrieval systems require the extraction device to be revolved about a stationary carousel. Upon positioning of the extraction device opposite the desired item, the extraction device proceeds to stop and extract or wait for ejection of the item.
Most users of large slide collections would find it desirable to have a device which can quickly search for, locate and physically retrieve a group of designated slides.